Children's Card Games at the Inventory
by DarthTrekkie2016
Summary: The Inventory. A place where characters from all realms of fiction go for a drink and some cards. But Seto Kaiba seeks to rock this collection of worlds with the awesome power of Duel Monsters! Join Kaiba and the Pharaoh as they bring children's card games to prominence in Steam City. Notice: YGOTAS versions of characters.
1. Chapter 1

New Horizons

The Pharaoh stood before the massive metal circle. His school jacket and ridiculous protagonist hair was still wet from the rain. He observed the intricate carvings and glyphs on every block making it up. Wires sprawled from behind it, connecting to various panels on the wall. At the top, a decorative dragon head held the "KC" proudly in its jaw. Despite the activity in rooms around them, the chamber of the portal itself was intensely quiet. He looked solemnly to his rival turned ally. "Kaiba, absolutely nothing about what you just said makes sense."

Seto rolled his eyes and motioned toward the portal. "Come _on_ Yugi. It's really simple stuff. My researchers dug up this old circle, which is _clearly_ a portal, in Egypt when they were looking for more god cards. So, I had them bring it in, hired a few actual Egyptologists to help decipher the thing, and now I'm going to bring it online."

Yami Yugi nodded. "No, I get that part. We're ripping off Stargate, but whatever. What I don't understand is why you want to open the portal."

"I should slap you for that. This is _entirely_ different from Star Trek. First of all, we've somehow determined that this portal leads to completely different realities. So anything's possible! We could discover anything beyond the gate!"

"... You're just trying to find real dragons, aren't you?"

The two stood in silence, Kaiba refusing to confirm the obvious. Yami sighed. "Well, I don't care. You can go have your Star Wars dragon adventure. But what about Dartz?"

"Screw him, I have a Kaibagate! Plus, you didn't let me finish! Secondly, we'd be traveling to dimensions entirely different to our own. Imagine all the different cards we could find Yugi!"

"Kaiba, you're assuming that every other dimension just happens to have Duel Monsters?"

Kaiba shrugged, laughing. "Even if they don't, I can push my products on them! We sent a duel disk through already to a random universe to make sure it wouldn't explode."

"And did it explode?"

"I don't know, we lost contact with it. Turns out we don't have radio contact with alternate realities, go figure. So we're gonna move straight up to human testing."

Yami eyed the door as Kaiba finished speaking. It was tempting. But he knew… He hoped, that Kaiba would have a good reason for bringing him here. "So if these other dimensions don't have Duel Monsters, why would I come with?"

The portal began whirring to life. "Well then I guess the "King of Games" is too scared to duel Seto Kaiba in a different dimension. Well Yugi? Too scared you'll lose in front of a bunch of new duelists?"

"That is entirely childish. I cannot believe you Kaiba! Of course I'm not afraid of you! In fact, let's duel right here, right now!"

A faint, shimmering blue light began to form as the portal grew louder. The pair's jackets flourished in the wind, being pulled toward the open tear. "Oh no! The wind from the Kaibagate's too strong. Guess you'll have to come with to duel me now."

"Damn you Kaiba. I suppose I have no choice now. Also, stop calling it that."

A voice came on over the intercom. "Alright Mr. Kaiba, we've set up the portal just like you asked, for dimension 00000001. Um… Are you sure you don't wanna try with some other people? It seems like a really stupid idea to lead with the CEO… Who's supposed to -"

Kaiba pressed the company logo on his jacket's neck, which lit up in response. "Shut up. I'm so confident in this plan working, I've left my shares to Mokuba just in case. **Mokuba!** That should let you know how confident I am in this plan… Also you're fired."

"I - Ugh, yes sir…"

Yami watched as Kaiba stepped closer to the gate, eyes alight in anticipation. "So, why dimension however-many-zeroes 1?"

"Because it's the first one. Which means it should logically be the best one. Come on Yugi, get with the game."

Finally complete, the glyphs beneath each prong on the gate lit up, and the blue light formed into a solid circular wall. It erupted forth, looking almost like a liquid, before just as quickly retreating back into the frame of the portal. The two stood in awe of the device, transfixed by the ripples of energy in the light.

* * *

"Boy oh bo - I mean, damn. Damn damn damn. I couldn't win this game for - No one's buying this are they?" The bright orange-robot glanced from player to player with his singular blue visual-receptor. He eyed the mess that was his hand, pleased with his double-bluff.

"Now don't think I don't understand yer machine ways there, Scraptrap -"

"Claptrap."

" - I see through you like my whiskey glass. Speaking of, where did that go now?" Dell lifted the brim of his hard hat up again, being careful not to reveal his cards. The deal had been kind. Two pair, aces and queens.

Jensen eyed the table again through his cyber-sunglasses, before throwing his cards down with his cyber-arms. Jack. Shit. "I didn't ask for these, I fold! But I could use a drink myself."

Their fourth remained silent as he pushed up his glasses, save for the tapping of his crowbar on the table. The probability of him winning was high enough to warrant his calm demeanor. Three of a kind, queens.

Claptrap stirred, viewing his remaining opponents. "Oh, Freeman… Still playing? Not… Put off by my stonewall confidence? Engi? No?" He eyed his useless cards. If only there'd been a seven in play. "Welp, guess I fold."

Finally, the hand drew to a close. Freeman smiled quietly as he drew in the pot. Dell sighed. "Damn, almost drained me right out. Ah well, gotta get goin' soon enough. Turrets to build, dispensers to place, y'all know the deal. But speaking of -"

Suddenly, the dingy bar became far brighter, a strange blue hue falling over everything. The table stood up, looking around as a hum began to fill the air. One by one, their eyes or eye-equivalence found the old empty stage. The flowing burgundy curtain billowed forth as a circle of blue light began to grow center-stage. It grew to almost eight feet, and then erupted forward. Once it withdrew and had settled, the whole bar stared silently at it.

Jensen and Freeman drew their revolvers, nodding to each other as they drew closer. Anyone else with a weapon readied themselves as well. A minute that felt eons longer passed before what came next. Two teenagers, one in a flowing white jacket, the other wearing his blue jacket like a cape, and both with weird arm-blade things came out. The one in white also wore seemingly pointless blue straps over his otherwise black outfit, while the shorter one had hair like an explosion and a strange pyramid hanging from a chain around his neck. Neither had been seen around here before.

Dell, leaned back with his feet kicked up on the table, nodded to the strangers, though his look showed his unease. "Howdy you two. Fancy entrance y'all fixed up. I'd recommend you spill where you came from though, before my friends riddle you with holes."

The one in the white looked around, eyeing the bar. He sighed. "God… **Damn it Yugi!** We open a portal to go to another dimension, and we end up in a dive bar! When I get back through this Kaibagate, I swear to Obelisk I'll fire every person who dug it up!"

His companion, evidently named Yugi, stopped him. "Kaiba, don't be rude. Besides, look at this place. That man has cybernetic arms, that one's a robot, and I'm pretty sure there's a troll ordering drinks at the bar. Not to mention everyone here has a different art style. I'm pretty sure the portal worked."

Kaiba paused. "The what?"

"The portal worked, look around you!"

Kaiba turned to Yugi, face expressionless. "I'm sorry, what worked?"

Yugi sighed. The rest of the bar watched in confusion, but began to put their guns away. Frustrated, Yugi tried again. "The Kaibagate worked." Kaiba gasped.

* * *

Though they had temporarily ceased their game, the strangers had welcomed Yami and Kaiba to join them at the table. The Kaibagate remained open for now, and the people who had opened it remained employed, but on "thin fucking ice".

The construction worker with the southern drawl began to talk again. "So, you punched yer way in through from another dimension? With a "stargate"? Well, that's one way of gettin' here. Actually, come to think of, any of y'all remember how we got here?"

Evidently no one did. This "Inventory" as they called it was a weird place. "Well anyways, you two come from one o them Japanese cartoons, huh? Yeah, so does the bartender. Ain't that right Jill?"

"That it isn't, Dell, that it isn't. Sukeban's Venezuelan. We just use their art style. And it's called anime… Dick." The girl behind the counter continued fixing another customer's drink.

"Ah, 'pologies. Well, good to have you in any case. Yer welcome to Steam City anytime you fellas please."

Kaiba raised his hand. "Question: Why is that the city name? Is it still stuck in the steam-powered days? Because that would hinder my plans."

The cyborg, going by Jensen, leaned forward. "No, no, that's just a continuation of the reference. It's actually pretty nice. But what exactly do you mean by plans?"

Kaiba smiled. "Well, since it seems like I won't be seeing any dragons right now, I thought I'd move onto my next order of business. That being business. I see you gentlemen come all the way from your respective worlds to play a simple card game. So, would you be interested in playing the absolute best card game in any instance of the world? We call it: Duel Monsters!"

The mute ginger in the science-armor raised an eyebrow to this, and Claptrap hopped onto the table. "Oh yay, more pieces of cardboard to distract you all from the inevitability of your deaths! Tell us more!"

"Of course. Basically, you each battle with an assortment of monsters, spells, traps, fusions, and other cards to lower your opponent's life points. There's zombies, robots, dragons, insects, superheroes, dragons, spellcasters, vampires, dragons. It's really the best game out there."

Jensen smirked. "Really? Sounds like you haven't grown out of games for kids."

Yami raised a hand, finally done shuffling his deck. "Also, we play with holograms that enact the battles at full-scale."

The table was quiet to that. Even Jensen seemed interested now. "Well… We'll need some cards first I assume."

Kaiba looked from his deck to the Kaibagate a few times. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Well, we'll pop back through the Kaibagate and grab a few structure decks and booster packs for you all. Oh, and some manuals. And playing fields. And duel disks. You know what, I'll just bring through some stuff to set up a store."

As he rose to leave, Yami coughed. "Oh, Kaiba. Forgetting something? How about we give them a little demonstration duel?"

"Um… Uh… _Wow_ , Yugi, could you be more rude? Why would I play the game they can't play yet right in front of them? What kind of monster do you take me for? We'll have our duel, just as soon as the cards start circulating."

"Wait, we're really going to have an introductory chapter without a duel? We're just gonna leave it on this? Although I suppose it's a decent hook to draw them in next tim-"

"Stop analyzing the story and get through the Kaibagate, Yugi."

* * *

AN: Attention Duelists! This fiction will be using some elements from YGO: The Abridged Series, as I watched Yu-Gi-Oh so long ago that's all that's in my memory. Also it's funny, and this whole fiction can only be billed as a comedy. Expect a whole friggin arc my dudes, and don't worry, duels will in fact be coming. I've got decks being made and everything. Also, for clarity's sake, this takes place in YGOTAS somewhere in the middle of the Waking the Dragons arc. Not sure if that'll come too much into play in this arc of CCGaTI, but it will in future.


	2. Chapter 2

Duelist Ex: Card Game Revolution

KaibaCorp personnel filled the chamber before the Kaibagate, readying crates full of duel disks, trading cards, and manuels. They had already sent one shipment through, but this strange Steam City was quite large evidently. Seto Kaiba overlooked the progress, eagerly awaiting his return to the Inventory. His brother rushed to his side.

"Big brother, there's trouble! More monsters have been showing up in the city! We could really use your he-"

"Mokuba, can't you see I'm busy? We're taking Duel Monsters and KaibaCorp to other dimensions! I don't have time to play with you."

"But Seto… Well, did you at least find those dragons you were looking for?"

Kaiba's smile melted into a scowl. "... Shut up, Mokuba."

* * *

Adam Jensen stood leaned against a wall, watching as the newcomers handed out decks and duel disks to the patrons of the Inventory. People were already eagerly scanning the manuals and buying booster packs. Not that he himself was uninterested. He had already gotten his, and thoroughly studied the rules and archetypes. But he was keenly aware the problems these upstarts would cause. And this Kaiba character… Adam was pretty sure he hated him.

He watched as Claptrap excitedly took some cards. "Interesting, interesting. A shame those disk things don't fit my tiny robot arms. I'll get to work fitting that though. Looks fun!"

The two who brought the game, Kaiba and Yugi, were beginning to get excited. They couldn't stop eyeing their future opponents and shuffling their decks. No one else seemed ready. So Jensen stepped forward.

"Hey, you two. I'm looking at these cards, and I'm still not convinced this isn't a game for children."

Yugi shrugged. "It is. But it's really good. If you're so sure it's a simple kids' game, why not step up and challenge one of us to a duel?"

Jensen smirked. "Just what I had in mind. This game'll be dead in a week, and I'll deal the first blow."

Kaiba rose, clearly getting angry now. "I'll have you know this children's card game is the backbone of our reality! Collectors, archeologists, ancient Atlantean cults! They all revolve around the awesome power of Duel Monsters!"

"Sounds like a really stupid reality."

Yugi rose as well. "It is sometimes. But if it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get, Jensen. It's time, to -"

Kaiba grabbed Yugi's shoulder. "Hold on Yugi! I need to take him. He's bad-mouthed Duel Monsters, and therefore insulted the very foundation of my business. I need to make him pay myself."

"But Kaiba, you forget yourself. I'm the King of Games! Isn't it a given that I take the first duel in this new land?"

"Yugi, look, a Pharaoh!"

"Where?!"

As Yugi spun to where Kaiba had pointed, Kaiba rushed forward to Jensen. "Alright, cyborg, you and me. Let's duel!"

"Ah, damn it!"

* * *

Seto shuffled his deck one last time, eyeing his opponent. Jill had cleared a space on the stage, behind the Kaibagate, for Duel Monsters. A group of people had gathered to watch the first duel of the Inventory. Even as Yugi stood brooding, the air was electric with anticipation. People stood on the sidelines, eyeing the duelists and their own decks, wondering if they might be next. This unmatched high was what Kaiba lived for.

"Alright, cynic. Time to give Duel Monsters the welcoming it deserves. And if I beat you in this duel, you have to admit to the whole Inventory that this game is not just some kids' thing."

Jensen nodded. "So we can add stakes then? Because if I win, I want you to pack up and ship out. The last thing Steam City needs is more greedy assholes like you and KaibaCorp. Besides, Duel Monsters will never catch on. It's not just because of me."

Kaiba readied himself, duel disk sliding into its ready position. Four thousand life points rang up. Jensen made to do the same, but stopped. "Wait, four thousand? What are you doing? The manual says eight thousand."

"... What?"

"Eight thousand. Eight thousand life points. You… Do actually know how to play this, right?"

Kaiba paused. He didn't remember that from the rules, and none of the duels he had been in used that. But he couldn't let this novice humiliate him like this. "Of course I do! My duel disk is just… I just left it set up for a speed duel, that's all. Yeah. Speed duel… Uh, those aren't in the manual yet, but it's a new thing I'm working out."

"Mm. Alright. Well, let's duel. Let's see who goes first."

"Ah yes, the ancient rite… Of rock, paper, scissors." Kaiba rolled up his sleeve.

"Saisho wa guu! Sono tsugi paa! Gonchupa wa dashio, Jan Ken Pon! "

"Saisho wa guu! Sono tsugi paa! Gonchupa wa dashio, Jan Ken Pon! "

Jensen's clenched fist met Kaiba's open hand over the stage. Seto nodded. "Excellent. I choose to go first. Now it's time to show you how incredible Duel Monsters really is! Draw!"

They each drew their first five cards. Kaiba looked over his hand. A decent start. Kaiser Sea Horse, Y-Dragon Head, Tyrant Wing, one of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and Silent Doom. He eyed Jensen. He wasn't sure what he had, but he was confident enough for an opening gambit. "I set a card, and then summon my Kaiser Sea Horse in attack position." He laid down Tyrant Eye, in preparation, and summoned his monster. The harpoon wielding, coral armored soldier took shape on the stage. A few patrons were already eyeing it in awe and joy. "I end my turn, cyborg."

Jensen kept his expressionless gaze. He studied his hand as he drew his next card. "Alright, kid. I set a monster in face down defense position, and end my own turn."

Kaiba laughed. "Please. As if a detractor like you would have any worthwhile cards. I'm calling your bluff, Jensen." He drew his next card: The Fang of Critias. Excellent. One of his most powerful fusions, already set up. But he would wait. "I set a monster of my own in defense position…" He laid his Y-Dragon Head. "And then attack your defensive monster with Kaiser Sea Horse!"

As he said this, an angel in blue and purple, with flowing blond hair and wings with red colored tips appeared. He crossed his arms, and deflected the harpoon's attack. Kaiba flinched as he heard his life points drop. He checked his disk. 7800 remaining. "Khh. I end my turn."

Jensen finally smiled. "Just because I think it's for kids doesn't mean I don't see the strategies here. Besides, I've got good reason to win. I think you'll find I'm perfectly capable of this. My Honest is just the start." He drew his own card, nodding. "As a demonstration. I summon Herald of Orange Light in attack position. Then I sacrifice both it and my Honest to synchro-summon my Coral Dragon."

"Oh, shit, you have dragons too?"

Yugi sighed. "Kaiba, almost everyone has some kind of dragon. Seriously. They're pretty widespread. I'm surprised you aren't questioning "synchro-summoning". Have we ever used that?"

"Eh, it'll never catch on."

Continuing, Jensen discarded. "Then, I use my Coral Dragon's effect, discarding my Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit to destroy your Kaiser Sea Horse." The knight reeled, then collapsed. "Now I attack your facedown." The Y-Dragon Head appeared, only to be ripped apart by the Coral Dragon in a violent explosion. Kaiba heard his life points fall again. 6900. Dammit! "Well, you should probably realise the problem you've caused by accepting my challenge so lightly. Duel Monsters will die before it even starts here. I end my turn."

Kaiba drew his second Blue-Eyes, and then carried out his plan. "Well, Jensen, I activate my legendary dragon card, The Fang of Critias! I use it to sacrifice itself and my trap card Tyrant Wing to bring forth my Tyrant Burst Dragon!" A massive purple dragon, with golden wings and a light on its forehead, appeared face to face with the Coral Dragon. "With that, I destroy your synchro-summon! Which brings your own life points down to 7500, and ends my turn."

"Huh. Not bad, not bad. But with my Coral Dragon's effect, I get to draw an extra card." He drew his two cards and looked over them and the field. "Good job on destroying that synchro monster. But guess what? I summon The Agent of Creation - Venus. If I understand the rules, I can use her effect twice, sacrificing 1000 life points to bring out two Mystical Shine Balls. Then I play Monster Reborn, and special summon Herald of Orange Light from my graveyard."

"Oh, shit…"

"That's right, Kaiba. Now, I sacrifice all my monsters and synchro-summon Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, whose effect allows me to destroy special summons and deal direct damage for each! And, since fusion summoning counts as special summoning, I use his effect to destroy your Tyrant Burst Dragon, and deal 500 damage to you. And that's all before I attack directly! Then I'll end my turn."

3400\. How was this even happening? How could some upstart be dealing this kind of damage? It didn't matter. Kaiba took a breath, and drew Pot of Greed. First things first then. "I play Pot of Greed, and draw two cards." His final Blue-Eyes, and Magical Trick Mirror. "Then I'll set a card and end my turn." He layed Trick Mirror down.

Jensen stared at him. "You know, I'll be honest, I've got some serious cybernetic enhancements. One of which is an ability to detect someone's emotional state based on pheromones they're releasing. I was getting to you, but something's up now…" He drew his card. "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands, which also brings a Machine Angel Ritual to my hand. Seeing as you've got something up your sleeve, I'm gonna prompt that card with a direct attack from Manju."

As the amorphous mass of grey hands and a scowling face that was Manju rushed forward, Kaiba flipped Trick Mirror. "And you activate my trap card. Fancy cybernetics there. I use Magical Trick Mirror to copy the effect of your spent Monster Reborn, and resurrect my Tyrant Burst Dragon in attack position. Your Manju is destroyed." As he said this, the mirrors showed the ankh of Monster Reborn, and Tyrant Burst Dragon appeared and stomped through the blob. Jensen's life points were at 5000 now. Closer, but still.

"Well, that isn't too bad. Don't misunderstand though, it is annoying. I attack with my Archfiend, and end my turn." Kaiba did his best to contain his glee, but he was pretty sure Jensen noticed. His first big mistake. He must have not realized Monster Reborn special summons monsters. Still, he was at 3300 life points. He could really use a certain card right now.

He drew polymerization. "Hah! _Hahahaha!_ _**Hahahahahahahahaa!**_ "

Jensen took a step back. "Um… Is he alright? It's only a card game, I don't think -"

Yugi shook his head. "Oh, don't worry about him. Knowing Kaiba, him laughing like that probably just means that he can summon -"

"Shut up Yugi, don't ruin this! I activate polymerization, and sacrifice my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my hand, to bring forth Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" His absolute favorite card appeared, the silvery-white three headed dragon that was his hardest hitting card. It towered over the field. "I attack your Archfiend with my Ultimate Dragon, bringing your life points down to 3500. You may have had a lucky run, but it ends with this. One more turn, and your done. I end my turn."

Kaiba's smile dropped when he saw Jensen smile too, drawing his next card. "We'll see about that. I play Pot of Avarice. Let's see… I shuffle Coral Dragon, Herald of Orange Light, Tefnuit, Venus, and… Honest back into their respective decks. Then I draw two more cards." As he did, he nodded and looked on, satisfied. "I activate Machine Angel Ritual, sacrificing Venus and Tethys, Goddess of Light to summon Cyber Angel Dakini." A woman with blue skin and four arms, wielding two swords and a staff, boldly stood against Kaiba's dragon. "With her effect, you have to send a monster you control to the graveyard. I'll let you choose which."

Kaiba looked from his cards to his opponent. "You… You do know I only have the one -"

"Yes, yes I do. Just… Just send it to your graveyard already."

"Mm, right." Kaiba watched, genuinely sad to watch the Ultimate Dragon go.

"Now, with that done, I attack directly with Dakini, and end my turn. Which means you should be at… 600 life points? I feel like I've got plenty of luck left."

Yugi rose from his seat. "Kaiba! Don't let him get in your head! I know I may beat you on a regular basis, but aside from that you're a fairly decent duelist! Don't let him stop the others here from playing! Also, I really want to duel some of these guys, so if you fuck this up for us I will make you pay. Oh, and, I dunno, believe in the heart of the cards or whatever."

"Yugi, please, I know what I'm doing. Provided I get the exact card I need to win, which judging from my track record and the fact this is the first duel of the series, should be…" He looked at the Monster Reborn he had drawn. "This one. I play Monster Reborn!"

Jensen seemed unimpressed. "What, and bring back your Blue-Eyes? It won't save you you know. I'm going to win, one way or another."

"Looks like you didn't read the card carefully enough, cyborg. I use it to special summon your Scarlight Archfiend to my side, in attack position! With his effect, since ritual summoning is also special summoning, I destroy your Cyber Angel. Then I attack directly. In total, that's - Well, how about you tell us how much damage it is, Jensen?"

The Archfiend ripped through Jensen's Cyber Angel, as fires roared up around him. Jensen scowled as his duel disk blipped, announcing he had run out of life points. The room around them exploded in applause.

The sound of metal striking wood rang out, and everyone present turned to the bar. A woman with white hair and a robot arm glared at them. "Hey, you guys wanna quiet it down? We've got other patrons here!"

Kaiba was about to talk back, when he saw Jensen nervously raise his hands, and retract his sunglasses. "Ah, sorry Dana. We're finished over here."

But before he walked away, he turned back to Kaiba. "Huh. You know… That was actually pretty fun. Not sure if Cyber Angels are my thing after all though. Duel me again sometime?"

Kaiba folded his arms, but found himself smiling anyway. "Sure thing, cynic. But I wanted you to explain something, actually. What did you mean when you said Duel Monsters would fail, but "not just because of you"?"

"Oh! Oh! Ohohohohoh!" The crowd parted as Claptrap wheeled in. "I know why! But you'll never guess what my conditions are for telling you!"


	3. Chapter 3

The Overlooked: Scrap Up

Yami stepped forward as Kaiba reshuffled his cards. "What do you mean, robot? I feel like you just telling us could keep things moving more swiftly. Besides, Kaiba's probably all worn out from that duel, these card games really take it out of you."

"To start with, the name's Claptrap. I'm just about the most friendly, helpful, murderous guy you could find to help you out! Besides, I don't wanna be left out of this action. If you duel me, I'll tell you all about this place, and what Mr. Didn'taskforthis is talking about."

Yami watched as Kaiba took a seat. He did look winded. And anyway, he deserved a card game too. "Alright then, I'll accept. It's time… To duel!"

Claptrap shifted. "... I know. That's what challenging you means. You people sure are weird."

* * *

This time, fewer people gathered to watch their duel. People were too busy finding their own to sit and watch. Even though he was excited to have more opponents, the Pharaoh was still annoyed that Kaiba had taken the first duel. His opponent had also seemed more… Well, threatening. This Claptrap appeared to be a much less serious duelist.

Yami threw rock, and Claptrap insisted his throw was paper. It was difficult to tell, with him only having two thin robot claws. But Yami accepted it. They drew their starting hands. Giant Soldier of Stone, Beta the Magnet Warrior, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Pot of Greed, and Mirror Force. He watched his opponent, but there probably wouldn't be any noticeable tells with a robot.

"Alrighty then, time to do the card things. I activate my field spell Scrap Factory, adding 200 to my scrap monsters' attack and defence, and then summon my Scrap Chimera in attack position. That'll do for me."

Yami nodded, eyeing the winged lion made of tin and copper. "Alright. I draw a card." Valkyrion the Magna Warrior. Hopefully he could bring that out soon. His strategy would normally be to play defensive, and why break from that with a fresh duelist. "I'll set a monster in defense mode." He'd trust this initial defense to his Soldier of Stone. And he'd lay Mirror Force, just in case. "Then I set a card facedown, and end my turn."

Claptrap drew. "Oooookay. I summon Scrap Worm in attack position! I'll attack your face-down with my Chimera though!" The massive cinder-block guardian appeared, batting the chimera away, slivers of metal and rock flew away, before vanishing. Next to the retreated chimera, a worm of iron and tubes appeared. "Oh dear. Well, I'm at 7900 now. That can't be worth much. So here's some equally valuable information. You guys are probably gonna die. How soon? To what? I'll never tell! Maybe. In the meantime, I can attack directly with my Scrap Worm, then end my turn!"

Yami was at 7300. But if the robot was going to explain further with any damage, even losing could be beneficial. "I draw." Gaia the Fierce Knight, one of his more offensive monsters. "I sacrifice my Soldier of Stone, and summon Gaia, the Fierce Knight!" A knight in blue and red armor, atop a purple horse and wielding twin red lances, appeared. "Gaia, destroy his Scrap Worm!"

The worm writhed as one of Gaia's lances tore through its side. As it shattered, Yami smiled. Claptrap's lifepoints fell to 6300. "I end my turn. So tell me, Claptrap, how would we be dying?"

Claptrap drew. "Alright. In essence, because you're meddling in the Inventory, you're essentially terrorists in Steam City. So the dedicated counter terrorism team is on their way as we speak."

"Wait, what? Why would playing Duel Monsters make us terrorists?"

"Too busy with card games! I set a card face-down, and then summon my Scrap Goblin! With him, I'll synchro-summon my Badass Scrap Archfiend!" A massive tin robot with curled horns and rocket wings appeared as the other scrap monsters vanished. "Alright! Destroy his Gaia, minion!"

Yami flinched as his knight was punched by a massive tin fist. His life points dropped to 6900 as Claptrap jumped for replicated joy. "Woah, that looked like it hurt. Do it again Archfiend! Oh, next turn of course."

Yami drew his Celtic Guardian. He set Zero Gravity face-down, and readied his Guardian. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew Zero Gravity, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. "Next, I summon my Overly-Apologetic Celtic Guardian in attack position!"

The elf in a winged helm and purple cape rose and drew his sword. "Grr, I'm so sorry about this!"

"Now I'll set a card in face-down, ending my turn." He laid Zero Gravity.

Claptrap drew again. "Good thing I have a monster with just the right attack to get through that effect. I summon my Scrap Beast, and attack your -"

"Hold on, robot. Like that, you activate my trap card, Mirror Force! All your monsters are destroyed."

Claptrap looked from Yami's card to the field. "Aww, he's already dead. Well, there goes my Archfiend. But I play Guts of Steel! Which of my scrap monsters do you want me to special summon out of Archfiend, Chimera, or Beast?"

Yami nodded. "Alright then… Summon your Scrap Beast."

"Brilliant! I bring my Scrap Beast to my side of the field. Buuuut, that's about all I can do. I end my turn."

Yami drew his Big Shield Gardna. There wasn't much more he could do. "I set a monster in face-down defence mode. That's my turn."

Claptrap hopped happily as he drew. "Ha-HA! Yes! I summon my Scrap Chimera, and then sacrifice both chimera and beast to summon my Scrap Dragon! To the skies, minion!" The metal dragon, with glowing red light eyes and wings like a plane's, rose to the ceiling of the Inventory. "Blast his face-down, dragon!" After a sputtering of smoke, a burst of flame poured from its mouth, overflowing Gardna. "With your life points at 6700, I end my turn!"

Yami was silent as he drew his next card: Alpha the Magnet Warrior. Yami smiled, slamming the three Magnet Warriors into his graveyard. "I tribute all three of my magnet warriors from my hand, bringing forth Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" A warrior of white steel, with a sword with a magnet hilt rose up. "Valkyrion, slay this robot's Scrap Dragon!"

Valkyrion rushed forward, and lopped the dragon's head off with a swing of its blade. As it struck the ground, both it and the dragon's body vanished. Claptrap's life points fell again. "Oh, sphincters! Sorry, sorry. I get worked up. Well, 5600. Alright, so, get this. This Steam City place is awfully lax with rules. After all, I'm here. Almost anything goes. But! You do **not**. **Fuck**. With our Lord and Savior."

Yami paused. "Umm… So, is this a religious place, or…?"

Claptrap laughed. "Not at all! Lord Newell is what I meant. He's the one who helped insure the Inventory, meaning it's his property. He doesn't care for people taking his stuff. Anyway, is your turn over?"

"Oh, uh, yes. But what -"

"Excellent. Oh, and since you destroyed Scrap Dragon, I can special summon one non-tuner scrap monster from my GY, yo! I summon a chimera. Then I draw… And then set that card face down. Next, I'll summon my Scrap Hunter. Hunter, attack his Celt!"

"Hold it Claptrap! I activate Zero Gravity, switching all monsters' positions on the field."

All their monsters knelt, taking a defensive stance. The Hunter withdrew from the Celtic Guardian. "Grr, sorry your attack failed."

Claptrap shrugged. "Oh well. I end my turn. Protect me minions!"

Yami drew Dust Tornado, and immediately set it. "I set a card, and then summon Breaker the Magical Warrior. I'll use his spell counter to destroy that face-down of yours!" A tall warrior in red armor and a pointed helmet rose with a sword and shield, and hurled a ball of dark energy toward Claptrap. Before striking him, it hit a crudely made scarecrow of pipes and bone.

"Gah! My scarecrow!"

"Breaker, attack his Scrap Hunter!" Breaker's sword split the round golem of copper down the middle, as it vanished. "I end my turn."

Claptrap rocked back and forth. "Mmm. I know it didn't do any damage, but I'm feeling generous, so what the hell? Anyway, you're terrorists here because of Duel Monsters taking over the Inventory. Oh, and for ripping your way into our reality with that Kaibagate thing. I mean, you could've just asked like anyone else. You're pretty much guaranteed in. I mean, if you got a hundred bucks. But since our barely functional automatic review was completely circumvented, your among our top public enemies."

He drew and set a card. "Anyway, now I'll attack your Magical Warrior guy with my chimera." Yami's life points fell again to 6400. But this was going well. "I end my turn. Please don't punch my minion."

Yami drew his monster reborn. "Well guess what? I'm gonna punch that monster in the face. I activate monster reborn, special summoning Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack position! Then I'll shift Valkyrion into attack position." Gaia and Valkyrion stood side by side, weapons ready. "Valkyrion, attack his chimera. Then Gaia can attack directly!" Valkyrion's sword drove into the chimera's head, and as it reeled Gaia lunged at Claptrap.

"AHH! Oh, right, holograms."

Yami pointed. "That leaves you with 1700 life points, and ends my turn. Now tell me more, Claptrap!"

"Of course. Remember the crowbar dude? Or the one in the hard hat? They're some of the guys directly subordinate to the Valve Corporation. They've probably taken their duel disks and cards to show the boss. So now he'll know exactly what he's up against. Plus, most people here are loyal to Newell, so you'll get plenty of opposition. This is his domain. So, I'll draw." He looked his hand over. "Hmm. Shit. I set a monster in defense position. There's my turn done."

Smiling, Yami drew his next card. Catapult turtle. "Alright, Claptrap. I summon my Catapult Turtle by sacrificing my Celtic Guardian."

"I'm sorry I wasn't enough."

He vanished, and a massive robot turtle with a launcher on its back took its place. "I then use its effect with Valkyrion, delivering 1750 damage directly, ignoring your monsters." The Magna Warrior lowered its sword, and clambered onto the back of the Catapult Turtle. As the Magna Warrior was launched forward, sword pointed to Claptrap, Yami pointed. "I win, Claptrap!"

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! Damn you, railgun reptile! Damn you to hell!"

Seemingly recuperated from his own duel, Kaiba rose from his seat across Jensen. "What?! What the hell, Yugi! I have a duel that goes down to the wire with Jensen, and all you have to do is win a duel against a scrapheap, who duels with another scrapheap?! I call bullshit!"

Yami smiled as he shuffled his deck. "Well, if you think it was unfair, we could always duel each other you know?"

Claptrap rolled up, duel disk in standby and deck being put away. "I wouldn't. We need to head to sanctuary! Meaning safety, not the town. It's too dangerous here. Any more time waster here, RED, BLU, and the counter terrorism unit will be on us! The dark Lord of Steam City knows all, and he'll be on you faster than… Something… Getting on to another thing fastly… Come on friends!"

* * *

The door to the Inventory shuddered. No one rose to open it. Jill and Dana eyed the door, the latter with far more composure. Gill had slowly disappeared into the employee rooms. Adam sat at a table alone. Finally, the door was blown open with charge. Men in blue uniforms, bullet-proof vests, balaclavas and helmets flooded the bar. They pointed their rifles from one patron to the next, though even they hesitated to look at Dana. A man in lighter blue, dressed in a fine suit, but still a balaclava, entered behind them.

"Gentlemen…"

Jensen nodded to him, sipping from his drink. "Spy… Quite the entrance there."

"Ah, the ever stoic monsieur Jensen. I have been informed by our… Mutual acquaintances that we have new visitors. They bring with them a game. Unapproved by Lord GabeN. Where, s'il vous plaît, have these strangers gone?"

Jensen shrugged. "I don't know. Probably left the way they came."

Spy looked toward the stage. It was empty, though the wood floor was damaged and appeared burned. He looked from person to person, but no one said anything more. "I see… Very well. Messieurs, search this establishment. Look under every table, box, and counter. Tear up the floors and walls if you must. Find these intruders. We shall bring them before Maître GabeN soon enough."

Jensen, under the cover of his sunglasses, eyed the portion of wall marking the secret tunnel. The previous owners used to smuggle bootleg characters in and out of Steam City in the past. Now, it was those two strangely deep-voiced teenagers' only way out. Could they stand a chance against this City? He'd have to wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4

The Green Light

Seto shoved his way past another group of character sprites. The generic soldier in olive green they had been speaking to made way as well. Yami followed closely behind him. The two were trying as well as they could to keep up with Claptrap as he sped down the tunnel. This route was hardly lit, and seemed to be inhabited by those Steam City deemed undesirable. More than once they encountered the same person in the tunnel, sometimes in groups. It was confusing to say the least.

Despite the crowded walkway, Claptrap wasn't slowed. "As you can see, even though Lord GabeN allows virtually anyone into the city, those he and his followers disapprove of are left to rot together in the sewers and shadows! I like to frequent these places. Mostly to laugh at them."

Seto kept a hand over his deck, and his duel disk near as possible to him. He didn't like the look of these people. "So our escape plan takes us through the utter worst of the city? Brilliant plan robot."

Claptrap laughed. "Oh, precious. You think _this_ is the worst! Don't you worry, I'm sure you'll get to that soon enough. But I'm taking you somewhere with some of the best people! And… Also maybe some of the worst. That's mostly a matter of perspective, really."

"And where would that be, Claptrap?" Despite feeling somewhat bad for these people, Yami had a tight grip on his millenium puzzle.

Claptrap flipped around, rolling backwards down the tunnel now. "The Community Hub! There's way too much ground for those guys to cover there. We should be able to avoid detection. Plus we can meet up with some friends of mine. There's plenty of people who disagree with how things are done here."

They continued to follow him, left without much choice. After a while longer in the dingy, wet roads, there was a booming noise as dust shook from the cracks in the brickwork. Seto looked down the way they had come. "Shit."

Yami looked to their guide. "Claptrap, what was that?"

Claptrap shrugged. "Dunno. Not for sure, anyway. Rest assured, some of the Dread Lord's forces come for you as we speak. If they catch you, it's deletion for sure. I'll probably be dismantled too. So, considering that, let's keep moving, shall we?" He opened a door of iron bars on their right, and led them down an even narrower, but thankfully empty path. "Alrighty, this leads to a pretty complicated path, but it goes right to the Community. It's been a while since I've used it though. As long as they didn't add anything too bad, we'll be -"

They rounded a corner, and a steep stone staircase rose into what seemed like total darkness. "NOOOOOOO! Damn you, stairs! Damn you straight to hell! Shit. Well, we -"

From the way they came, they heard a selection of echoing voices. "Go, go, go!" "You take the point!" "Follow me!" "Cover me!"

"Even more shit! Alright, guess there's no choice. Here's the route: Second right, third left, first right, second left, fifth left, ladder on the right, and then follow the road to the left. DO NOT GO RIGHT! That leads to the Greenlight District. We don't go there anymore. Now move your asses!"

Kaiba looked from the stairs to Claptrap. "Hey, if they added a whole damn staircase, how exactly do you know the rest of the route will be the same?"

Their guide rolled away. "I don't! But it's either take the risk of going that way, or get shot. A bunch. I'll heroically distract them by running a way that doesn't involve stairs. Tell my story friends! Tell my storyyy!"

With that, their unusual new friend shot back down the path toward the iron gate. They heard the echo of it being shut as the two of them turned back toward the dark. A faint dripping sound resounded from the top. Kaiba scowled, looking back and forth from the hall to the stairs. "You know, Yugi… I feel like maybe we should've just had the Kaibagate opened and left. Thankfully, in the brief time between the first chapter and now, we've managed to craft some trans-dimensional communicators. Let me just…"

He pressed the KC logo on his jacket again, which lit up blue. Only for a second, however, as it quickly went red. A clearly stock text-to-speech program proclaimed "Out of range from dimensional breach."

Kaiba stomped. "Damn! Well, I say we just head back. Worst comes to worst, we duel every guy between us and the gate."

There was another echo from where they had come from. "Hiya friends! Lovely day for some counter-terrorism, amiright? Say, who's up for a spot of Duel Monster -" _**BANG**_ "HOLYSHITOKBYETHEN!"

The two looked back to the staircase. Yami sighed. "Well, labyrinth to place we don't know it is. Come on Kaiba."

The two began their ascent of the steps, trying to ignore the screams of their robot companion as he was chased away. Eventually, it led them up into a similar tunnel as the ones below. This one was darker, but still lit in places by dim lamps built into brickwork alcoves. Arched doorways led down other paths built similarly. The second right tunnel went for a while, and sloped upward further. They continued a ways in silence.

The directions were simple enough. Third left, then the next right. The second left after that. All the while the echoes of gunshots rang out from further and further away. Finally they went down the fifth tunnel on the left. This one led to a place where small rays of light poked down from the ceiling in several circles, as there were several ladders. Only one, however, was on the right wall. This one also differed in that it led up only a few feet, and brought them to another tunnel. As they threw open a steel door at its end, they breathed deeply. There was at last fresh air.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, their surroundings became more clear. It was a bright and warm day in the city. The alley they had ended up in was mostly clean and empty, and a chain link fence allowed them a clear view of the skyline. In the distance, rising so high it seemed to vanish into the clouds, was a single black, metal tower. Before their eyes it shifted and opened. What seemed like black clouds of small metal orbs poured out from it.

Yami and Kaiba stared in shocked silence at this monstrous building. As they did, they heard a cough to their left. They spun around quickly to see the stranger. Another robot, it seemed. This one was almost human in his appearance, except for his ghostly pale skin and bright yellow eyes. "Afternoon, fellas… Something tells me you're somehow the cause of that, huh?"

Sighing, Yami looked back to the tower. "It would seem so, yes. Exactly how bad is it?"

The stranger shook his head, adjusting his worn hat as he studied the sight. "Very, I'd bet. I've been here a few years, and I've never seen the citadel lit up like that. Something's got our overseer in a foul mood."

In the distance, another voice sounded over what seemed like a P.A. system. "Denizens of Server 17, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of two fugitives, each carrying an arm blade and deck of cards respectively. Any assistance in their capture will be rewarded. Information is also sought on the supposed accomplice of these criminals, Adam Jensen. Let this serve also as a reminder to comply fully with Civil Protection and Counter Terrorism units. Enjoy your day."

Kaiba leaned against the fence, scowling again. "Damn it. If we were in our dimension, they'd never be able to find us with that description. Yugi, we're in some real trouble."

Their new companion took a step forward. "Well, a few friends and I feel we can help you with that problem."

There was the click of a revolver being cocked. Kaiba and Yami watched as the air shimmered and a masked man in a blue suit stepped forward. "Oh, truly, monsieur Valentine? Perhaps vous et mois could pay them a visit, after I round up these fugitives."

The man, Valentine apparently, slowly drew a revolver of his own, seemingly home made of pipes, screws and some spare wood. "Ah, Spy. I admit, I was expecting to see you, in one shade or another."

The Spy scoffed at this. "Comme si. The REDs are the PR dogs, no more. Now, Nicolas, I suggest you put down your gun. We don't want any citizens getting hurt now."

Valentine looked at the two of them. "Alright, here's the deal. You've got no choice now but to take the path through the Greenlight District. We wouldn't normally send you down that way, but it's better than being captured. So, I'll try and hold him off. All you need to do is find the Grestin checkpoint, understand? Get through into East Grestin, and you'll be fine. Good luck, kids."

Before Kaiba could object to the kid comment, Valentine spun around and opened fire. The Spy darted toward the wall, shooting back. Yami and Kaiba rushed down the alley, in the opposite direction Claptrap had told them to run. Still, if it was take a strange path they didn't know versus being shot, the choice was pretty clear.

The two dashed away through the alley, bullets striking the ground now and then right beside them. Thankfully, it seemed Valentine was holding this agent of Valve. Sure enough, the alley wound into a narrow lane. It led down a steep, narrow staircase, which eventually opened into a dark, cramped street. The street curved at seemingly random points as it went into the dark. The whole area looked dark green from the dim colored lights above certain doors.

What was most concerning though was the completely disparate pieces making it all up. It hurt to look at, in part due to the visual chaos but also due to some genuinely otherworldly constructs. Each building varied wildly. Some of them seemed reminiscent of old-school video games, blocky and brightly colored, and front walls and doors that were entirely flat. Others looked very nice, but had been built over and over again down this one street. What looked like a subway entrance, bright green metal beckoning them over, actually only led into more concrete. Further down the road was a red phone booth, writing on the top and sides blurred and illegible, and with no way to open the door.

As they backed away to try and assess their course of action, a bald man shot by them in a shopping cart before promptly crashing into the nearest building. He flew, not from the impact per se, seemingly unaffected by the laws of gravity. Yami watched in fascination. "Burning wings of Ra, why would anyone do that?"

Kaiba tugged at Yami's jacket. "Spider heads."

"Come again?"

"Fucking spider heads Yugi! Holy shit holy shit **holy shit** _ **holy shit!**_ "

Sure enough, the sight behind the pharaoh was a decent reason to book it, via feet or shopping cart. A veritable wave of human heads, all identical, all being worn by some horrid spider creature, was pouring down the road toward them. While some of them were slightly different colors, and they varied wildly in size, their movements seemed in perfect sync. Whatever their size or color, they were terrifying. And heading right for the two of them.

Without sharing another word, Kaiba and Yugi shot down the road. They ducked past several other oddities on their escape from the spiders. Going down this very same street, they ducked past a pale tuxedo-clad zombie, wove through a street filled with cars moving in stutters and chariots with unmoving riders and synchronized horses, and ran past what were probably supposed to be arousing images of far too pixelated women.

"Yugi, in here!"

Kaiba threw open a bright red door on the front of a homely looking building. Of all the choices, it seemed most welcoming. Until the two of them attempted to enter. There was nothing within but a black void, and a grey slate displaying a message. "An error occurred while updating (missing executable): D:\Steam\steamapps\common"

Thankfully, Yami caught hold of Kaiba before he fell into oblivion. "What does that even mean?! How does this building not have a building? What the hell?!"

"Blurbblurbblurbblurb!" A gurgling came from Yami's left, and an orange tentacle took his shoulder. He turned to see an orange cephalopod in a fine blue suit who was clearly an octopus. It imitated a beckoning motion and continued it's blubbering. Kaiba, now recovered from his near fall, turned to see him.

"You can? I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but than - … Thaaaa…. ACK! Thank you. Now, take us there good man!"

Yami stared in disbelief at Kaiba. "You… Understand this thing Kaiba?"

"Yugi, now's not the time to be rude to this man just because his looks are a little lacking. If he can get us to that Grestin place, more power to him. Go, well-dressed orange stranger! We'll be close behind!"

Despite the fact Kaiba could apparently speak to an octopus, or was pretending to at least, he did have some kind of point. Spiders and what not. The two duelists once again tore off after a guide, this one flopping about down the path, at remarkable speed considering the movements. They continued through these strange boulevards, before coming across a wide open concrete square. A massive fence topped in barbed wire made up the square's edge. Winding around the area was a massive line of nondescript, grey-black silhouettes.

"Blurbblurbblurbblurb!" The octopus flailed a tentacle wildly in the general direction of the line. Yami spotted its end, a small concrete cube.

"Next!"

The line shuffled slightly, the figure at the far end entering the box. From nowhere, someone else appeared at the end of the line. Yami understood immediately. "Ah, got it. Come on Kaiba. We can just cut right through, these people aren't even drawn rig-"

 _ **BLAM**_

A bullet ricocheted off the ground in front of him. Kaiba groaned. "Aaaaaaaagh, I hate cues. Reminds me of before I was rich, having to wait in lines to buy things. Waiting's for losers and peasants, no exceptions!"

Evidently, they were now losers. When the next two entered the box, Yami and Kaiba stepped into the line before the new shadows could join in. Unfortunately, the wave of spiders was coming. But they couldn't leave the line! With tearful eyes, the octopus slapped itself in the face in a faux salute, and flopped hurriedly into the path of the spiders. "Blurbblurbblurb _ **BLURBBLURB**_!" It's bubbling gurgles became tortured screams as it was buried by the horde, which slowed to devour their seafood.

Kaiba reached out in horror, but was rooted in place. "Noooooo! Inconspicuous orange and wet stranger! Damn it… He had a family, Yugi!"

The line shuffled again, a shadow stepping between them and the horde. It poured forward, before stopping abruptly. The wave shifted and scuttled, until the line moved again. One of the spiders got into line. Kaiba, Yami, and their arachnid pursuers stood awkwardly, waiting.

Twenty Minutes Later…

Since being awakened from the puzzle, the Pharaoh had never been more bored than he was now. He didn't even have Yugi for conversation now. And Kaiba was no better.

"Never guessed that you'd be dressed in my clothes and in my shoes. You couldn't wait to move right in. If I were you I'd be concerned. Na na na na nanananaaa. Bababa ya my return. Give it up, 'cause now I'm back!" Kaiba tapped his foot as he mumbled a song to himself. The spiders were still patiently lining up one by one as the line continued.

Thirteen Minutes Later…

"So hey, if we were to… I dunno, duel… Y'know, together… I mean, we could…"

"Kaiba, if you want to practice tag duel strategies, I'm down. But you have to say it properly."

Kaiba shuffled nervously. "Mmmmmm…. Dammit Yugi… Look, this is hard for me, alright? You already know what I'm getting at."

Despite getting oh so close to their goal, Yami sighed. "Of course I do. But that's not good enough. You wanna do this? You need to be comfortable enough communicating it to me."

"Uuuggghhh!" Despite his visible discomfort, Kaiba took a breath. "Do you… Wanna work on our tag dueling?"

"There, was that so hard? Yes Kaiba, let's do this."

Twenty-Seven Minutes Later…

"Thank goodness all that tedious strategy and personal bonding happened during a timelapse. Otherwise we'd have to display us growing as people." Kaiba shuffled the last of his cards back into his deck. "And check it out Yugi, we made it to the front of the line!"

"Arstotzka welcomes you. Next!"

Happy to be free of this seemingly endless que, the two rushed into the box together. A stout man in a tall fur hat was sitting opposite a glassed off counter from them. His eyes widened a little as they entered. "Sirs, I'm afraid this is a one at a time… Ah, never mind. Papers please."

Kaiba and Yami eyed each other. Why were their guides so terrible at preparing them for anything?

After only a moment's hesitation though, Kaiba nodded. Silently, he removed a card from his deck, and slid it under the glass. The man eyed it, expression unchanging. He flipped it face up. Quietly, Kaiba said "Negate attack… We don't need any papers."

…

Then the man's eyes lit up. "Oh. OH! You two are the guys with the Duel Monsters! Sorry, I thought you looked a bit out of place. Here." He printed out two pieces of paper proclaiming they were for "rejection only". He stamped their approval anyway.

"I'll take a pay hit for this, but it doesn't matter. You're finally here. And the Dread Lord's days are numbered."

The two took their slips and Kaiba's card back, and walked down the road. Before they were gone, they heard the sound of an outdated and noisy printer. They shrugged, and stepped onto the sidewalk.


End file.
